Tesco's new Hudl 2 is a low-cost Android tablet that's ideal for a family.
Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

The new Tesco Hudl 2 is a low-cost family-orientated tablet that gets the basics right with a decent screen, fast processor and parent-empowering software.

The first Hudl was a bit of a surprise. Tesco (yes, the supermarket) designed and built a perfectly good Android tablet that was great value for money, undercutting almost every other decent tablet available.

Durable design

The soft-touch plastic back is grippy and feels durable. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

The Hudl 2 has maintains its predecessor’s durable design. The device is covered in a soft-touch plastic, has a solid build and little in the way of complications to go wrong.

It is thinner but heavier than the original. The larger 8.3in 1080p HD screen is a big improvement with better colour saturation, wider viewing angles and is sharper, making photos, text and videos all look better.

Compare the Hudl to rival tablets on the market for £100, and you’ll find many of them have lower resolution and poorer screens.

Two stereo speakers are mounted in the back, which are quite loud and better than your average tablet speakers. They are discreet, and not easily blocked by hands when holding the tablet in landscape view to watch video.

Powerful enough

The Hudl 2 will handle most games with only small amounts of stutter or lag. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

The Hudl 2 has an Intel Atom processor that can handle everything that anyone is likely to want to do with the tablet, including graphically intensive 3D gaming with only small hints of stutter or lag. Scrolling between homescreens there is a small amount of lag when accessing the Tesco services, but the rest of the time the experience is much like higher-priced tablets such as the £200 Google Nexus 7.

The Hudl 2’s standby battery life was solid, lasting several days when simply sleeping. For web browsing and checking email it will last around a day of on and off use. It will last around four hours of playing games or around five hours of streaming video, which is about the same as the original Hudl and similar to competitors like the Nexus 7.

The Hudl 2 has 16GB of built-in storage space with a microSD card slot for adding up to 32GB of extra storage for photos, movies and music. MicroSD cards are available with up to 128GB of storage; it is annoying that Tesco capped supported sizes to 32GB.

Direct injection of Tesco

Tesco apps and services take up the left-most homescreen pane. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Tesco only makes very small additions to the standard Android experience, which is a good thing. A small white “T” sits in the top left corner, which takes users to the left-most homescreen pane containing Tesco apps when tapped.

Direct access to Tesco’s groceries, bank, Clubcard account and Tesco Direct services are available through pre-installed apps, along with Tesco’s on-demand music and video Blinkbox service.

The left-most homescreen pane can’t be removed, but the apps and services do not intrude into general use if not required.

Parental controls

Tesco’s other modifications to Android include a useful “Get started” guide, which helps first-time tablet users set up and use their new device – something sorely lacking from most tablets and smartphones.

Another guide aids parents in setting up extensive parental controls to help block unsuitable content and services from their children. Individual kids accounts can be configured to block access to various sites and themes, limit screen time to certain times of the day or between set time periods, as well as block access to any app installed on the tablet.

The web filters include 20 different categories such as religion, news, shopping, illegal content and 18+. Each category can be enabled or disabled, while individual websites can be whitelisted individually for fine-grain control.

Cameras to forget

Cameras on tablets are often low quality, and the Hudl 2 is no exception. The rear five-megapixel camera consistently over or under exposes photos leading to blown out or too dark shots, which also lack detail. Low light performance is equally poor.

The front-facing camera is passable, and will do fine for video chats in the home. Neither camera will replace the one in a decent smartphone.

Price

The Hudl 2 costs £129, but can be bought for £65 of Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Verdict

The Hudl 2 is a great value tablet for the money - especially if you can use the Tesco Clubcard discount.

It won’t replace an iPad, but it is one of the best budget tablets available for under £200. The parental controls are some of the most comprehensive and easy to use on any device, let alone a tablet, and the Hudl 2 should survive the odd knock or drop making it a great choice for children and families.